Barbecue

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a barbecue that has a rotatably mounted grill for holding the foods in which a device is provided for preventing the travel of liquid fat beyond the outer peripheral edge of the barbecue as the grill is rotated.

United States Patent Thompson 14 1 June 6, 1972 154] BARBECUE [56]References Cited [72] lnventor: Orla D. Thompson, 40 Owen Boulevard,UNITED STATES PATENTS wmmvdale'omam'canada 2,723,658 11/1955 Schmieding..126 25 22 Filed: July 11,1969 3,134,320 5 1964 Meyer ....99/340 [21]APPLNOJ 841,020 3,512,515 5/1970 McGee ..99/450x PrimaryExaminer-William l. Price 521 u.s.c1. ..99/443 R, 99/446. 99 450,Henderson 126/25 AA Atmmey'Fetherstonhaugh and Co. 51 1m.c1. ..A47j 3707 [58] FieldofSearch ..99/443 R, 339-340, [57] ABSTRACT 99/420-42l,423, 425-426, 427, 446, 450; l26/9, 25 R, 25 A, 25 AA, 25 B Thisinvention relates to a barbecue that has a rotatably mounted grill forholding the foods in which a device is provided for preventing thetravel of liquid fat beyond the outer peripheral edge of the barbecue asthe grill is rotated.

} 6 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUN 6|972 3,667, 376 saw 10F 2 1 NVENT OR. ORLA DE N LEY THOM PSON ATTOR N EYS PATENTEDJUH 61912 SHEEI 2OF 2 INVENTOR. ORLA DEN LEY' THQM PSON ATTORN EYS I BARBECUE Thisinvention relates to devices for barbecuing meats and is particularlyconcerned with the small pan type outdoor barbecue which essentiallyconsists of a shallow pan for holding charcoal and a screen-like grillon which meat is supported above the glowing charcoal.

The chief operating difficulty of the above type of barbecue is that asthe melted fat dripping from the meat being cooked falls into theburning charcoal, it tends to flare up. If this tendency is not keptunder control, the meat can be so severely burned as to be unusable.Accordingly, it is usual when barbecuing meats, particularly those ofthe fatty variety, to trim off all excess fat before placing the meat onthe barbecue. Further, most barbecues are provided with means foradjusting the height of the grill above the charcoal and while thisfeature is provided to accommodate variations in the heat given off bythe charcoal, it is also used to raise the meat when the dripping fat iscausing extreme flare-ups.

However, some people prefer not to trim ofi the excess fat as theyconsider doing so is a waste or they particularly enjoy the fattyportions of meat. There is no effective control for this condition otherthan moving the steak or extinguishing the flare-up with water. Movingthe steak is inconvenient or impossible if one has a full grill. Water,while effective, retards cooking.

In view of the above, it is the chief object of this invention toprovide a horizontal type of barbecue which includes means forpreventing flare-ups caused by dripping fat and which is operativewithout the need to trim excess fat from'the meat or to raise the meatabove the charcoal to an unusual degree.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a barbecuewhich reduces dripping fat flare-ups on the meat by means for leadingthe fat coming off the meat to the outer perimeter of the charcoal pan.

A barbecue according to the invention consists of a pan for holdingcharcoal or other fuel and a grill rotatably mounted above the pan, thegrill being rotatable at a speed to centrifugally urge liquid fatsthereon to its outer edge and the barbecue having the improvement of ameans for preventing the travel of liquid fat beyond the outerperipheral edge of the grill as it is rotated.

downwardly from the hub to the outer periphery of the grill, as can bestbe seen in FIG. 1.

The grill is carried by the center post 14 which is mounted for rotationin a bearing-like tubular element 26 positioned at the center of pan 10.At its upper end where it is supported by bearing 26, shaft 14 is roundbut at its lower end it is square in cross section for connection to anelectric motor 28. The latter is supported by and fixed to the undersideof pan 10 by a bracket 30.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that grill I2 is rotatableand that motor 28 constitutes a means for rotating the grill. Thisrotatable feature of the grill is an important feature of the inventionas is explained in greater detail hereinafter.

Means is also provided for raising and lowering the grill relative tothe pan. This feature is common to most barbecues of this type and itconsists of a lever 32 pivotally mounted on a bracket 34 fixed to theunderside of the pan. The bracket car- 1 ries a toothed lower edgewhereby the grill may be held at any selected vertical position by meansof a spring biased elongated dog 36. At its inner end, lever 32 isforked and bears against the underside of a shoulder 38 on shaft 14.This arrangement takes into account the fact that shaft 14 rotates.

Although not essential, it is preferable that motor 28 be a variablespeed motor so that the rate of rotation of the grill may be adjusted.In any case, due to the rotation of the grill and the downward slopingof the wire components of the grill and struts 22, melting fat whichwould normally drop directly into the center area of the burningcharcoal is carried by centrifugal force outwardly to the peripheralouter ring 20 of the grill. Thus, by the expedient of the rotatinggrill, flare-ups resulting from fat dripping into the center of the panare minimized. For beef of average fat content, the grill is rotatedabout 40 r.p.ms., the speed being varied as required for other meats.

In order to prevent the. melted fat from flying outwardly from the outerperiphery of the grill as the result of the rotation of the grill, anumber of wiping devices are positioned to wipe the lower edge of ring20. These devices comprise spring biased V-shaped fibrous wipers 40carried in bearing-like tubes 42 fixed to the bottom wall 'of the pan.This'wiper ar- The invention will be more thoroughly understood from thefollowing description of several preferred embodiments thereof as readin conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view, partly in section, of a firstpreferred embodiment of the barbecue in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the barbecue shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view partly in section of the pan and centerpost of a barbecue in accordance with a second preferred embodiment ofthe invention;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view of one side edge of the barbecue shownin FIG. I; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing a modified form of thearrangement for preventing melted fat from flying off the outer edge ofthe grill as it is rotated.

Referring to FIG. 1, the barbecue of the first embodiment of theinvention essentially consists of a shallow pan 10 for holding charcoalor other fuels normally used in such devices and a grill 12 carried on acenter post 14. The pan can be made of any material capable of holding abunting charcoal bed, preferably steel. It is supported by three or moretubular steel legs 16. In this regard, however, it should be understoodthat the pan for holding the burning charcoal could be part of apermanent structure fonned of bricks or the like and that the inventionis not restricted to the particular type of portable barbecue shown inFIG. 1.

As can best be seen in FIG. 2, grill 12 is circular in shape and is madeup of a central hub 18 connected to a peripheral ring 20 by fourradially extending struts 22. The struts support a grid of wires 24. Thestruts and the grid wires are sloped rangement is shown in greaterdetail in FIG. 4 from which it can be seen that the wipers 40 are eachcarried by rods 44 which are capable of vertical sliding movement intubes 42. A coil spring 46 is compressed between the upper end of tube'42 and a washer 48 positioned immediately beneath wiper 40 to exert awiping tension. FIG. 4 also shows the path taken by melted fat as itmoves outwardly under centrifugal force along wires 24 to ring 20 wherethe fat is wiped from the lower edge of the ring and falls into the panat the outer edge. From this point, the fat moves towards the center ofthe pan by virtue of the curved lower wall of the pan but it burns at aslow rate and in an even fashion as it progresses towards the center ofthe pan, i.e. there is no tendency for flare-ups occurring in the centerof the barbecue. Even should flare-ups occur where the fat drips intothe pan after being wiped from the lower edge of ring 20, the flare-upsoccur towards the outer edge of the pan, i.e. radially outward of themeat being broiled.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 differs from the embodiment alreadydescribed only in the substitution of a manually operated means forrotating the grill in lieu of the motor arrangement shown in FIG. 1. Forthe manual rotation arrangement, the lower end of shaftf14 isprovidedwith elongated gear teeth 50 which mesh with a ring gear 52 carried atthe inner end of a rotatable rod 54 supported by a pair of brackets 56attached to the underside of the pan. A crank handle 58 is fixed to theother end of the rod. As a further modification, the inner end of theheight adjusting lever 32 bears against the lower end of shaft 14.

FIG. 5 shows a modified form of wiping arrangement for wiping ring 20.This consists of one or more clip-like devices fixed to the outer wallof pan l0 and which bear against the ring 20 regardless of the height ofthe grill.

The means for rotating the grill is not of basic importance. Theessential thing is that it be rotatable to hurl the fat outwardly andthat the barbecue includes means for preventing the fat from travellingbeyond the peripheral edge of the grill as it is rotated. The wipingmeans illustrated are examples but any means capable of deflecting ordirecting the fat downwardly into the pan and preventing it from beingthrown substantially beyond the peripheral edge of the barbecue areintended to be within the scope of the invention.

What I claim as my invention is: V

l. Ina barbecue having a pan for holding charcoal or other fuel and agrill having a shaft, said shaft being rotatably mounted to positionsaid grill above the pan for holding foods, said grill being rotatableat a speed to centrifugally urge liquid fats thereon to its outer edge,the improvement of collecting means at the outer peripheral edge of saidgrill for preventing the travel of liquidfat beyond the outer peripheraledge of said barbecue as it is rotated and transfer means for directingfat on said collector means downwardly intosthe pan.

2. In a barbecue as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is provided a drivemeans for rotating said grill in operative connection with the lower endof said shaft.

3. In a barbecue as claimed in claim 2 wherein said drive means is amanually operated crank mechanism fixed to the underside of said pan forrotating said grill, said crank mechanism having a crank handle carriedat its outer end and being operatively connected to the lower end ofsaid shaft at its inner end through gearing means. 7

4. In a barbecue w claimed in claim 1 in which said transfer meanscomprises a wiper bearing against the underside of the outer peripheraledge of said collecting means, said wiper means being spring biased intocontact with the outer peripheral edge of said collector. i

5. In a barbecue as claimed in claim 1 in which said grill consists of acentral hub fixed to said shaft, a plurality of radially extendingstruts, extending to said collector ring, a plurality of wire elementssupported by said struts, said struts and said wires being slopeddownwardly from said hub to said outer collector ring.

6. In a barbecue as claimed in claim 2 wherein said drive means isdriven by an electric motor.

t l I! i I!

1. In a barbecue having a pan for holding charcoal or other fuel and agrill having a shaft, said shaft being rotatably mounted to positionsaid grill above the pan for holding foods, said grill being rotatableat a speed to centrifugally urge liquid fats thereon to its outer edge,the improvement of collecting means at the outer peripheral edge of saidgrill for preventing the travel of liquid fat beyond the outerperipheral edge of said barbecue as it is rotated and transfer means fordirecting fat on said collector means downwardly into the pan.
 2. In abarbecue as claimed in claim 1 wherein there is provided a drive meansfor rotating said grill in operative connection with the lower end ofsaid shaft.
 3. In a barbecue as claimed in claim 2 wherein said drivemeans is a manually operated crank mechanism fixed to the underside ofsaid pan for rotating said grill, said crank mechanism having a crankhandle carried at its outer end and being operatively connected to thelower end of said shaft at its inner end through gearing means.
 4. In abarbecue as claimed in claim 1 in which said transfer means comprises awiper bearing against the underside of the outer peripheral edge of saidcollecting means, said wiper means being spring biased into contact withthe outer peripheral edge of said collector.
 5. In a barbecue as claimedin claim 1 in which said grill consists of a central hub fixed to saidshaft, a plurality of radially extending struts, extending to saidcollector ring, a plurality of wire elements supported by said struts,said struts and said wires being sloped downwardly from said hub to saidouter collector ring.
 6. In a barbecue as claimed in claim 2 whereinsaid drive means is driven by an electric motor.